Friday, June 12, 2015

When I published Take Five Magazine and worked as a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I wrote a series of columns about conversations with “Uncle
Ray.” Ray was the nickname I used for “Racism.” I turned a centuries-old mental
malady into an illogical, nasty, evil character that I could voice my
frustrations, fears and anger through. It’s been very cathartic for me. Taking
with Uncle Ray kept me from imploding.

The story of black youth attending a pool
party in a
tony Dallas Fort Worth neighborhood and accosted by a police
officer, stirs a need to talk withracism…again.

“Why do you, after all these years, refuse to
die?” Through Ray, I’d ask those who blatantly or subliminally cling to the
tenants of racism, if they truly understand the trauma it sparks in the psyche
of black youth? Do you have any idea what it’s like to be confronted by the
reality of “less than?”

For
people of color-young or older-it is a life-altering reality on the job, in schools
and department stores or just driving their cars or walking the streets.

As
a kid born in the epicenter of the civil rights movement, I didn’t feel
personally connected to the plight of my people. My siblings and I grew up as Jehovah’s
Witnesses. Caring and religiously connected white people were always a part of
our childhood. The religion taught us that we were not a part of “this system.”
It encouraged us to be long-suffering and patient because God would correct all
ills.

In
my early 20s, I learned that I was indeed a part of a tainted society that
viewed people of my hue as racially inferior. I was one of the last in the group
of “affirmative action” hires at a local utility company. Our supervisors didn’t
even try to hide their anger or disgust for this new crop of young black workers
they feared would take “their jobs” or become their superiors. I was naive but
not stupid. The new rules, policies and attitudes enacted to contain, punish or
drive out those the government made them hire; wasn’t lost on me.

Many
in this country do not understand the devastating mental disconnect that can happen when young black or brown kids confront racism for the first time. Remember,
from birth-through movies, news or schools-we’re indoctrinated with the concept
that America is superior to all other countries in its stance for justice and
equality. My confrontations with racism on the job or with police caused me to
rebel and reject the foundations of my youth. I felt the adults, teachers and
religious folk that helped mold me had, in fact, lied to me. Feeling angry,
lost and betrayed, I drifted into a whole slew of negative behaviors to tame
the beast growing in my soul.

Many...do not understand the devastating mental disconnect that happens when young black or brown kids confront racism for the first time.

The
monster roars still as I watch my kids and grand kid's generation grapple with
the cruel disparities and social unrest of my youth. What might have broken in the minds of
the black teens at that party who watched cops allow whites to stand
around, gawk or walk about untouched while they were told to “get their asses
on the ground?”

“Sir,
we just came from a birthday party…”one of the handcuffed teens pleaded to the out-of-control
officer, Cpl. Eric Casebolt.

What recurring nightmares will Dajerria Becton endure throughout her life? Dajerria is the 15-year old bikini-clad teen slammed to the concrete and kneeled upon by this figure of "authority" who also pointed a gun at party-goers?

The longevity of racism isn’t just a threat
to the sensibilities of black kids. Conscientious white youth who have black friends or love black music, videos or films will also wrestle with the dichotomies of
a society plagued with ugly, stale and stubborn racial bias.

I also worry about Brandon Brooks, the
15-year-old white kid who shot the pool party video. Brandon spoke of feeling
“invisible” as now retired Officer Casebolt and fellow officers skipped “over me and (told) all my African-American
friends to go sit down.”

Will this incident embolden
him as he strives toward manhood or will the adults in his life (and on the
Internet) convince him that he’s wrong for defending his friends who were, after
all, threats to the entire neighborhood?

If I could talk to racism, I'd try to find out why there seems to be a regression to an era where blacks were feared, targeted and terrorized. Does it have something to do with the election of the country's first black president? Are we witnessing the ramifications of police forces that have recruited soldiers trained in the past 11 years of war to "subdue and "occupy" at any cost?

If I could talk to racism, I'd try to find out why there seems to be a regression to an era where blacks were feared, targeted and terrorized.

I don’t know if it’s a
blessing or a curse to work with the teens of the Sweet Potato Project (ages
16-20). It’s a blessing to be there, to listen as they talk about the tragic deaths of Trayvon
Martin, Michael Brown, 12-year-old Tamir Rice and others. But sometimes I feel it’s a curse. I see these events unfold from the perspectives of
the youth we serve. I feel their heartbreak, hopelessness, betrayal, anger and possible disconnect from a society that still considers them expendable.

As mainstream media
luxuriates in colorful debates about “race” sparked by police shootings or incidents
like the Texas pool party, I can’t help but think we’re missing an important
fact; another generation of kids-black, white and “other”-are being inculcated
and molded by the deficiencies of “race.”

More than anything, this is
what I want Uncle Ray to understand. If racism were really a character, I could
say “Please, look at what you’re doing to our kids.” The monster would scream “STOP
IT!” and the wounded warrior would openly pray for his immediate demise…once and for all.

Sylvester Brown, Jr. is a long-time St. Louis writer, community activist and executive director of the Sweet Potato Project in St. Louis, MO.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

You know you’ve created something
special when teens vow to protect it.

This thought came to mind while
talking with the Sweet Potato Project’s students-some who’ve been with the
program since its inception in 2012. I’ve always made it a point to tell them
the real deal. Very few programs pay students to learn life-long skills. I want
them to understand they are receiving a gift thanks to people who care about
them and believe in our mission.

For the past three years, we’ve paid
inner-city youth summer wages to utilize entrepreneurial skills in their own
neighborhoods. I maintain that until we empower youth and adults where they
are, we will never effectively reduce poverty, crime or hopelessness in
low-income communities. By training a generation of urban entrepreneurs,
securing vacant properties, growing massive amounts of food and developing a
quality product line of fresh and packaged foods for consumers, restaurants and
institutions, we can create jobs and stimulate small business growth in North
St. Louis.

Working under the banner of the North
Area Community Development Corporation-a 501-c-3 nonprofit organization-the
Sweet Potato Project (SPP) has gone from training 15 teens in 2012 to 35 in
2014. This means that at the very least, 75 young people have been shown how to
make a huge difference and create opportunities for their parents, peers,
siblings and neighborhoods.

We’ve been building momentum but this
year has been particularly challenging. The ratio of corporate, individual and
nonprofit funding has been way below par in 2015. Since national attention turned to Ferguson,
many resources havebeen aimed at summer job creation for
at-risk youth. This is a wonderful step toward reducing the black teen
unemployment rate which is more than twice the rate for white teens. Summer
jobs, however, are a temporary fix. We choose to remain focused on a long-term solution
that will empower youth and residents in St. Louis’ hardest hit areas to create,
control and maintain their economic destinies.

We’ve been building momentum but this year has been particularly challenging.

The wonderful thing about our approach
is that our students get it. They are intrigued by the idea that they will be
the ones who will pave the way for jobs and opportunities for their parents,
peers and siblings.

After planting recently, I told some of
the teens about our fund-raising shortages this year. Right away, they launched
into ideas: “Let’s do a car wash, Mr. Brown…” “Let’s have a dance and serve the
sweet potato recipes we’ve created…” On and on they went.

It’s touching to know these kids are totally
invested and have grasped the essence of our program. Each year, almost all
bring a new recruit to the program. We’ve never been able to serve all the kids
who apply but the thought of cutting back on the numbers we’ve served is quite stressful.
We want to fuel the enthusiasm of youth who are excited about the idea of securing
vacant properties in St. Louis. In fact, this year one of our senior students,
Darryeon Bishop, will have his own plots at New Jerusalem COGIC Church on Emily Avenue in
North St. Louis. While
planting there two weeks
ago, Antonio, a 19-year-old who joined us last summer, spied an empty lot
across the street from the church:

“I’m gonna get that land, build me a house and
plant sweet potatoes in the back,” he said.

SPP student, Darryeon Bishop, will have his own plots at New Jerusalem COGIC Church on Emily Avenue in North St. Louis.

Our students remind me that we have an excellent
opportunity to practice what we teach. Entrepreneurism 101 dictates: “You must get
tough when the going gets rough.” Another lesson from that playbook states: “Work
with what you have.”

What we have are young
soldiers ready and willing to hustle to save their program. What we have are
people, black, white and “other,” who have seen the value of what we are trying
to do and have brought their skills, talents and resources to the table. What
we have is the opportunity to do something daring, empowering and sustainable
in North St. Louis.

Although SPP hasn’t purchased our own land yet, we’ve
partnered with private landowners, churches and community organizations to grow
sweet potatoes for us. In the fall, we will purchase their yields to create,
make and sell new SPP products. In essence, we’re introducing a model for farm-based
economics in North St. Louis. The mission is to boost the model; recruit more
students, access more lots; involve more growers, build farmer’s markets and
food-based spin-off businesses in low income areas.

2015 Partner Gardens

The Ville Family Gardens

Ville Orchid Garden

Tillie's Corner Garden

Bridges of Hope Church Garden

Penrose Garden

In the fall, SPP will purchase their yields to create, make and sell new products.In essence, we’re introducing a model for farm-based economics in North St. Louis.

************************

Missouri Botanical Garden

Annie Malone's Emerson Academy Therapeutic School

Sometimes I get so caught up in what we need, I forget what we have. St. Louis University, a major
regional institution, has been a powerful partner in our efforts. We have a
grassroots mission that has been supported by a community of compassionate,
talented and diverse individuals. Like our students, they get the big picture
and have invested in our collective dream.

I’ve been a dishwasher, ditch-digger, gasman,
magazine publisher, columnist
and contributor to high-profile, published authors but SPP is the most
rewarding venture of my life. Still, no one asked me to do this or promised it
would be easy. So, as director, I have to practice what we teach and do a
better job at articulating our needs and gathering forces for the mission.

To accomplish everything we propose in
our budget, we need to raise at least $40,000 in the next two months. This means I have to knock on
more doors and solicit invitations to speak at churches, businesses and even in
homes to tell our story. To serve the kids better, we have to build a bigger
volunteer network. SPP is a community-based success story. Surely I can find more people willing to give
their time as instructors, drivers (for field trips) and mentors.

We teach our students that sacrifice, diligence
and creativity are the lifelines to success as an entrepreneur or as a valued
employee. SPP
may be a nonprofit but it has a game-changing, entrepreneurial undertaking. I must always remember when life gets tough;
the entrepreneur gets tougher-period!

The Ville Orchid

That said, here’s our 2015 “get tougher plan”:

1)Start the summer program
on June 4th with senior students.

2)Secure more corporate,
individual and small business support

3)Create student teams;
cooking, accounting, sales and distribution

4)Increase revenues
by focusing on wholesale and retail products

5)Bring on new
recruits starting June 15th

6)Increase
production and distribution of our products

7)Host several
public fund raisers, with the first on June 21st(click here)

8)Help students plan
and pull off their own fund-raising events

9)Work with our
partner gardeners for maximum yields

10) Lease/purchase
more vacant land and assign students their own

What I love most about the Sweet Potato
Project is that anyone-from the Greater Ville to Chesterfield-can play a role. All
are welcome and they don’t need fancy labels or highfalutin degrees to join us. We need to surround our
youth with people willing to share their passions and experiences. I especially
urge the 20 and 30-somethings to simply come hang out with our students during
class times. We also need entrepreneurs of all stripes to share their ups &
downs and encourage our kids to strive for economic independence. We need folk
who realize that traditional academia doesn’t always cover the unique realities
of urban life and are willing to help fill in the gaps.

We need to surround our youth with people willing to share their passions and experiences. I especially urge the 20 and 30-somethings to simply come hang out with our students during class times.

If our mission resonates with you, I humbly ask
that you share it within your networks. Please re-tweet, share, forward--do
whatever it takes to reach as many people as possible. It’s going to take an
all-hands-on-deck engaged community effort to help our young people reclaim and
empower themselves, their families and their neighborhoods.

Frederick Douglas once said, “There is no
progress without struggle.” Yes, we have our struggles but we also have
“community.” If we practice what we teach, expand our reach, get more donors
and volunteers involved, I’m convinced that the promise of “progress” is at
hand.

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About Me

Born and raised in St. Louis. In 1987 started Take Five Magazine, a pro-active, community-based, investigative publication. Operated for 15 years. Hired as Metro columnist with the St. Louis Post Dispatch in 2002. Brought Bill Cosby to town, debated Bill O'Reilly and wrote a column that saved a baby's life. After leaving the Post-Dispatch in 2009, started working with SmileyBooks as a consultant and writing contributor. Founded When We Dream Together, a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing urban communities in 2011. In 2012, began "The Sweet Potato Project," a summer program aimed at teaching "at-risk" youth entrepreneurial skills. Students planted sweet potatoes that they turned into a viable, marketable product-a sweet potato cookie. Currently running both nonprofits, working as a freelance writer and consultant and about to enter the self-publishing arena.

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Commentary on this blog represents my views and opinions only. All items are subjective, except where specified and/or stated otherwise. Videos, clips, quotes, statements, etc., are included for emphasis, clarification, verification or as follow-up sources for particular subjects and issues. Usage of this material does not imply, express or emphasis any other views other than what is implied in the blog posting. There is no connection between this site and any other site, organization, company or publication of a similar name or previous association. -- Sylvester Brown.